Yea Wayne, like I said - for meat - I prefer tangy sauce with garlic and Texas Pete.
I grow habanero pepper every year because it is fun in small doses and is a beautiful, even ornamental plant.
Don't know if I could handle much of it in a BBQ sauce. I do like to puree it with cream cheese in a dip.

You know, it just dawned on me that I have had Maurice's "award winning" BBQ sauce before. I must admit, you would have to pay me to eat it again but apparently, many, many folks like it.

I also have to admit, I haven't found a mustard based sauce I like for BBQ so take that into consideration when you read my comments on their sauce. Like I said, many folks [especially around here] LOVE that stuff. I have a close friend of mine who competes [and wins 1st or 2nd place often]in chili cook off contests on the Eastern seaboard and he really likes it.

In fact, if anybody wants to meet him and I down in Columbia for this years chili cook off, I'll be there. I believe it's in October. He makes some damn good chili that amazes me because even though I know the recipe, he always does it by taste in 28lb. vats. He is the only one I know that knows what ingredients change the flavor of his chili in the right way at the right time to be done correctly by judging time. I have to hand it to him.....he's good at what he does.

In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence.

The best way to enjoy digital music reproduction is to never listen to a good analogue reproduction.

Treitz,
I got the sauce the other day and tried it out (Old Mule 1/2 kick) BBQ'd some pork chops, very nice. Not the kind of sauce that I'm used to, but better than the sweet sauce my wife prefers, and I loved the subtle spiceyness. I'll give it 4.5 out of 5.

I also was lucky enough to pick up a green egg today. Had to drive about an hour out of town to go get it and all I can say at this point is DAMN, they are heavy!!! I think I got a knock off brand because I can't seem to find anything on the web about my particular one but the cooking theory is the same and I spent less on this one brand spankin' new than I would have paid for a very cheap propane grill.

It was included in a overstock item auction that some dude "bid" on a whole 18-wheel trailer full of stuff, sight unseen. Much like a storage unit auction. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you get burnt. Well, I can't speak for what was on the rest of the trailer but I do know that I feel I lucked out on his purchase. He sold it to me for $250 cash.

I'm gonna break her in tomorrow afternoon. Can't wait! Thank you toucanet for the suggestion on a different type of cooker. I'll give myself about two months and I'll be right back to where I was many, many moons back....a pro-griller. All I need to do is get used to how this particular unit cooks. Any suggestions or advice would be welcomed.

In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence.

The best way to enjoy digital music reproduction is to never listen to a good analogue reproduction.

treitz3 wrote:I'm very glad you both liked it, I just ordered more for the family.

I also was lucky enough to pick up a green egg today. Had to drive about an hour out of town to go get it and all I can say at this point is DAMN, they are heavy!!! I think I got a knock off brand because I can't seem to find anything on the web about my particular one but the cooking theory is the same and I spent less on this one brand spankin' new than I would have paid for a very cheap propane grill.

It was included in a overstock item auction that some dude "bid" on a whole 18-wheel trailer full of stuff, sight unseen. Much like a storage unit auction. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you get burnt. Well, I can't speak for what was on the rest of the trailer but I do know that I feel I lucked out on his purchase. He sold it to me for $250 cash.

I'm gonna break her in tomorrow afternoon. Can't wait! Thank you toucanet for the suggestion on a different type of cooker. I'll give myself about two months and I'll be right back to where I was many, many moons back....a pro-griller. All I need to do is get used to how this particular unit cooks. Any suggestions or advice would be welcomed.

I'll see what I can scrounge up tomorrow locally. If not, next weekend I'll give it a whirl.....by then the next batch of Old Mule Sauce will be here so hopefully that will work out for the best. Thanks again.

In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence.

The best way to enjoy digital music reproduction is to never listen to a good analogue reproduction.

Lighting Lump
Lump is easy to light if it's kept dry. Use a charcoal chimney or an electric charcoal starter. Do not use lighter fluid, unless you like the taste of petroleum hydrocarbons on your food.

To use a charcoal chimney, just fill it with the amount of charcoal you'll need, place a couple of sheets of crumpled up newspaper in the bottom and light it up. As the flames rise through the chimney, the charcoal is lit. The burning charcoal creates heat and an updraft, which gets the coals burning fairly quickly.

For slow cooking in your grill or smoker, place a pile of unlit chunks in the cooker, and light just enough to cover the top of the unlit charcoal. The charcoal will slowly burn downward, providing you with low, steady heat. Mix a few small chunks of smoking wood in the unlit charcoal to add smokey flavor to your food.

Tips for Using Lump Charcoal
Try different brands. Inspect the pieces as you put the charcoal into your grill to sort out anything that looks odd or out of place.

Pay attention to how much burn time you get out of the charcoal, and how easy it is to control the temperature using the ventilation of your cooker.

When you've determined your favorite, see if the qualities it has are consistent from bag to bag. There could still be some variations within a brand, but overall, the lump charcoal should be fairly consistent.

Alright, got my lump charcoal and some accessories from Home Depot. Two pork butts are waiting to be cooked in this thing. I'm about to have some fun grilling again for the first time in close to 15 years.

Pic's to follow....

In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence.

The best way to enjoy digital music reproduction is to never listen to a good analogue reproduction.

Oh my dear lord God, this cooker works some magic. The Pork is sooooooooooooo good, we don't even need BBQ sauce. Got mashed 'tater's, grilled corn on the cob, hot chicken sausage and the pulled pork that is out of this freakin' WORLD!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm gonna be full before I even sit down for dinner!

Did I mention yet that I thank you?

In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence.

The best way to enjoy digital music reproduction is to never listen to a good analogue reproduction.

treitz3 wrote:Oh my dear lord God, this cooker works some magic. The Pork is sooooooooooooo good, we don't even need BBQ sauce. Got mashed 'tater's, grilled corn on the cob, hot chicken sausage and the pulled pork that is out of this freakin' WORLD!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm gonna be full before I even sit down for dinner!

Did I mention yet that I thank you?

That's wonderful news!

These cookers are analogous to cooking meat in an electric slow cooker (aka crock pot). The meats are very juicy at the end of the cooking journey.

Glad you are enjoying it. Be sure to post some photos.

As time goes by, you can build a multi-level rack to fit more meat in the cooker. I've started baking pizzas on mine; they taste pretty darn good. Pizza stones are very common and inexpensive.

I actually already have two pizza stones and just about everything else conceivable you would want in a kitchen with the exception of a convection oven which I will wait on when we get a new house. Cooking is actually a passion and hobby of mine and I get about as anal with my cooking as I do my audio. It will be interesting to see how this does with breads.

Anyhoo, that pork I was talking about was still moist [cold or hot] one week later. Don't exactly know how I nailed that the first try, but I LIKE it! I'm back to BBQ'n this weekend. More pork butt/shoulder [only 8 and 1/2 lbs. this go'round] and this time we are trying some chicken quarters on her. Got my favorite BBQ sauce in with both the full kick and half kick versions, along with the "concoction sauce" I made last weekend. Grilled corn on the cob, buttered and peppered yellow squash covered with Velveeta cheese and some tweaked Bush's BBQ beans will round out tonight's meal.

We cooked steak on her last weekend and the compliments from both my mouth, my guests and my wife told me that I made a very wise decision with this cooker. Damn, she's sweet. Easy to light, easy to cook and man, can she cook like no tomorrow. I know now that you have enjoyed some serious finger lickin' meals off of yours.

I wanted to post pic's of it a couple of weeks ago but couldn't find my camera cord to download them. I found it just a day or two ago and have downloaded the pic's. I'll add some today and post them as soon as I can. I have to say this and be honest.....If you do not have one of these things? You don't know [yet] what grilling can actually do for ya'. I give it 5 stars and a GLOWING recommendation only after grilling twice on it. This cooker combined with the Old Mule Sauce?

I'm in heaven.

In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence.

The best way to enjoy digital music reproduction is to never listen to a good analogue reproduction.